Google Signs Deal with Hachette Livre to Scan French Out-of-Print Works
Paris, November 17, 2010 – Google and Hachette Livre today signed a memorandum of understanding that defines the terms for Google to scan Hachette Livre’s French language books.
The proposed agreement applies to the many thousands of works under French copyright controlled by Hachette Livre and which are commercially unavailable. The vast majority of all books ever published are commercially unavailable.
Both parties see this as an opportunity to breathe new life into Hachette Livre’s dormant out of print works for the benefit of authors, academics, researchers and other readers.
Google and Hachette Livre agree that the basic terms and conditions will be made available to all French publishers.
The agreement provides the following to Hachette:
- Control over the scanning of its books. Hachette will determine which works it wants Google to scan. Works deemed by Hachette Livre suitable for scanning can either be made available as ebooks for electronic purchase through Google Books or used for other commercial applications such as print on demand (POD). Google and Hachette Livre will work together and share information pertaining to the commercial availability or unavailability of Hachette Livre works. Books not suitable for scanning will be removed from Google services. This also applies to works already scanned by Google.
- New business opportunities. This memorandum of understanding is designed to give access to currently unavailable works while providing new revenues to their authors and publishers. Hachette Livre will obtain copies of the scans in order to offer works in print on demand (POD) and other services. Importantly, French booksellers will be able to sell electronically these works.
In practice, all works deemed suitable for scanning will fall into one of the two following categories:
- Hachette Livre authorizes the scanning and electronic distribution of the work through various channels, including Google Editions.
- Hachette Livre authorizes the scanning of the work by Google for search and promotion while retaining a file for its own non commercial uses.
Enhanced visibility of its authors and their works in public digital libraries. Hachette Livre intends to make digital copies of scanned works available to the databases of public institutions such as the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, thus contributing to the advancement of French culture.
